A New Story
by Rhasic
Summary: What if instead of Snow, Regina went with Emma to the Enchanted Forest? And what if Cora and Regina decided that it was time for a new curse? - Swan Queen.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! **

**First of all I have to warn you guys that**** English is not my first language and I don't have a beta. Sorry about the mistakes.**

**Second, I'm not so sure about this, and I want to know if you think I should continue. So, please, let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Once Upon a Time.**

* * *

A creaking sound was heard near them. Both the dark haired woman wearing the warrior clothes and the brown haired one that was wearing a dress looked up at the direction they heard the sound. The asian warrior frowned and the princess looked scared.

They were near a castle, but it was mostly destroyed and there should be no one there. There were no people living in the castle or even near that place.

"Something is in there..." The warrior went in the direction that the sound came from. "Stay back."

Cautiously she approached the pile of broken objects where the sound had originated. She wasn't scared, but she had to be careful.

"What did it bring?" Aurora asked, frightened.

The warrior didn't answer, instead she kept examining the pile of junk with her eyes.

"What is it? What do you see?" The princess asked again, worry more evident in her voice now.

The other woman grabbed a big flat piece of wood and threw it aside. Her face showed shock after seeing what was below it, but she kept silent. The princess slowly approached her.

"Mulan, what is that?" Aurora asked, looking at the same thing the warrior was.

"That... That is what brought the wraith here." She became angrier with every word. "That's what killed our prince."

That's when one of them began to awake. The blond woman started to shift and slowly, her eyes opened. She looked up and her face showed confusion when seeing the two women looking down at her.

"Who are you?" The blond woman asked, looking around. "And what is this place?"

"Don't move." Mulan ordered, pointing her sword at the woman. "We are the ones that ask the questions here. Who are you?"

"I'm Emma." She put her hand on her head, closing her eyes. "And I want know what the hell is this place."

Mulan approached her sword a little more to the woman called Emma. "Like I said, I ask the questions."

"Alright, alright." She agreed, still feeling a little dizzy.

"Who is this woman next to you?" Mulan asked pointing her sword briefly to the woman that was still unconscious.

Emma looked beside her and sighed, almost rolling her eyes. "Great, she came here too."

"Who is she?" The warrior asked again.

"That's Regina." Emma answered, annoyed. "Can you tell me what this place is now?"

But at that moment, the woman previously unconscious opened her eyes. She put her hand on her head and frowned, seeming confused. Then, she slowly started to sit up.

"Don't move." Mulan ordered again, this time pointing her sword to the brunette.

Regina looked up, first confused for a second, but soon her eyes showed anger. "Who do you think you are to point that at me?"

But Mulan didn't budge. "I'm the one with a weapon that can kill you."

"Mulan, she said that this woman's name is Regina." Aurora was scared, looking at the woman that had just woken up.

"Are you Regina the queen?" The warrior asked, a flick of fear appearing on her eyes for just a moment.

Regina looked around, recognizing the surroundings, making her eyes start to shine and her lips start forming a wicked smile. "So, this is what's left of the Enchanted Forest."

Aurora took a step back, getting more scared with every second that passed. "Mulan..." She whispered, her voice wavering. Even if she said only her name, Mulan knew what she meant. They should run. They should try to escape, but at the same time she knew that if the woman was who they thought she was, they wouldn't be able to get far.

Regina began to stand up, but Mulan bravely put her sword on her neck. "I told you not to move." She kept a firm grip on her sword, even after finding out the true identity of the woman in front of her.

"Foolish woman, how do you think you can command me?" Regina pushed her hand forward in Mulan's direction, intending to throw her far away, making the warrior flinch.

But nothing happened.

The mayor of Storybrook looked at her hands in shock. "What? I should have magic back here."

Mulan grabbed Regina's hands and started tying them up with a rope. "You are powerless, your majesty. That means you are coming with us."

Quickly and efficiently, she finished tying Regina up and with the same rope, tied Emma's hands too.

"Where are you taking us?" Emma asked. "Where are we?"

The warrior got the other end of the rope and pulled. The two tied women started walking.

"Home." The warrior answered, simply.

It seemed like they were walking for an entire day. Mulan and Aurora were on horses, while Regina and Emma walked behind, still tied up. They were struggling, trying to break free, but while being pulled by a rope, it was even harder to try to escape.

They kept walking through deserts. It seemed there was nothing left in that place. They could see destruction everywhere.

"How did you fall into the portal too?" Emma asked.

"Don't you remember?" Regina asked, annoyed. "You were pulled into the portal while trying to push me away from the wraith. So the portal pulled us both."

"And the wraith?" Emma was breathing heavily, tired.

"Well, Miss Swan, it surely was somehow taken care of, wasn't it? Otherwise I would be dead now." Regina replied, also sounding tired.

"We are here." Mulan announced.

They arrived at what it seemed to be a refugee camp. There were small huts and some people around. They definitely hand't been there for too long, for the people there were still building new huts. All of them stopped doing what they were doing and kept staring at the new comers.

Mulan cut the rope so that the two were still tied, but separately.

Emma looked around, looking for a way out. She saw that if she ran ahead, there was a forest they could try to hide and lose them. She looked at Regina to try to warn her, but her companion seemed lost in thought.

Without time to wait, Emma suddenly turned around and kicked Aurora. "Run, Regina!" She screamed, running. She was running as fast as she could, without looking back, when Emma heard a scream right behind her, making her turn around. Regina was hit with some kind of throwing weapon and fell to the ground, becoming unconscious.

"Regina!" Emma ran back, kneeling beside the other woman. "What did you do?!" She asked Mulan desperately.

"Take them to the pit!" Mulan ordered the other people there.

And so they were taken to a small hole in the ground, where they threw Regina on the floor without any care. Emma immediately kneeled beside her. "Are you okay?" Emma asked, trying to shake the other woman lightly. "Come on, wake up!"

"Do you need help?" Emma heard a feminine voice near her.

The blond looked up and saw an older woman approaching. Her dark brown hair was tied up and she was using a long dress and looked somewhat powerful. Her brown eyes shone with a weird kind of light, but she had a kind smile. The blond woman was a little suspicious of the new companion.

"Who are you?" Emma asked carefully.

The other woman's smile grew a little. "A friend." She answered simply. "My name is Cora."

"Right." Emma replied, furrowing her eyebrows. "Can you check if she is alright?"

"Of course." The mysterious woman answered, kneeling and looking at the unconscious brunette. "Oh."

"What?" Emma was concerned. "Is she okay?"

"She is, it's just..." The woman looked at Emma in the eyes. "This is my daughter."

"You are Regina's mother?!" Emma was surprised.

"Yes, but you have nothing to fear." She answered. "The apple fell very far from the tree."

Emma frowned a little, but then looked at Regina again. "Are you sure she is fine?"

"Of course, dear." She answered. "You are from over there, aren't you? What's your relationship with my daughter? Why are you here together?"

"Well, we kinda share a kid." Emma explained. "It's complicated."

Since they were talking, the pair didn't notice that the brunette had opened her eyes.

"Mother?!" Regina was standing up, looking absolutely shocked with the person she was seeing.

"Regina." She answered, smiling at her daughter.

"It's impossible, you... You..." Regina just kept looking at her mother like she was seeing a ghost.

"I was supposed to be dead?" She finished the sentence for her daughter. "Well, I'm clearly not."

"Hook..." She began.

"He lied." Her mother answered. "Regina, I know why you sent me through the looking glass and I know why you tried to have me killed and I wanted you to know that... It's alright."

"I think it's not alright!" Regina replied.

"I love you." Cora's eyes were bright with unshed tears.

Emma, silent until now, decided to interfere. "Wow, what's going on here?"

But they ignored her.

"I know I showed you my love in all the wrong ways, but I can do better!" Cora smiled. "I never should have forced you to marry the king."

Regina had a single tear running down her face. "You are the most manipulative person I... I don't wanna hear anything anymore."

"Regina, please, let me in your heart again. I'm so sorry." Cora took one step closer to her daughter. "We can start over. We can rebuild the castle and you can finally have your happy ending."

The queen laughed a humorless laugh. "You don't know what I want, you know nothing."

"What do you want, my dear? We will do whatever you want." Cora answered.

"All I want is my son back." Her voice faltered. "And you can't help me."

"But of course I'll help you, sweetheart, I'm your mother. I will help you if you let me." Cora opened her arms, silently asking her daughter to hug her, which Regina, after a few seconds, did. She started crying on her mother's shoulder.

"How?" She asked. "You don't know what's happened."

Cora's eyes twinkled. "Then you will tell me and I will help, dear."

Emma was starting to have a bad feeling about this reunion. "Regina, if you want Henry back, you just have to listen to him!"

The two women broke out of their hug and finally looked at the third person that was with them.

"Listen to him? He says I'm evil. He wants you as a mother, not me. You stole him from me!" Her face contorted in anger, Regina advanced one step towards Emma.

"He just wants you to be a good person." Emma replied, getting angry. "I didn't steal him, you pushed him away!"

"So, this is the reason you lost your son, sweetheart?" Cora asked, looking at Emma with malice. "We can take care of this easily."

But Regina grabbed her mother's hand. "If we kill her, Henry will never forgive me."

"Yes, but I can kill her and he never has to know, dear." Cora replied, smiling.

The Queen kept looking at her mother for a few seconds, seeming to consider what Cora was telling her. When she started to smile back, they were interrupted by a rope being thrown at them.

"Our leader requests an audience." A bald man explained, waiting for the two new prisoners to climb up.

Cora looked at her daughter and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, dear. Everything will be alright."

"Enough talking." The man barked.

With one last glance at her mother, Regina climbed up first, followed by Emma.

"I can't believe you were going to let your mother kill me." Emma whispered to her companion.

"Really, miss Swan? After all we've been through, you still don't know what I am capable of?" She hissed back.

But Emma didn't have time to respond. A tall black man wearing heavy armor was coming to meet them.

"The evil queen, Regina." The armored man looked at the brunette with a small smile on his face.

"I am your queen, I demand you release me!" Regina replied, looking at the man with a disgusted look on her face.

"You don't demand anything here, your majesty." He replied. "Especially since you are powerless right now, just like your mother."

"My mother is not powerless, you fool!" She sneered. "She will kill all of you!"

A strange glint appeared on the man's eyes. "Well, you might be right."

Suddenly, a cloud of purple smoke surrounded the man's body and in a second, Cora was standing before them.

"I'm proud of you, my daughter, for having such faith in me." Cora smiled evilly at the shocked faces that all of the people around her were giving her.

It was chaos. All of the people there started to run, screaming in terror. Emma too tried to escape, but Cora used magic to paralyze her. "Wait here for me, dear." The witch smiled and disappeared in a purple smoke.

Soon she was appearing and reappearing in front to every person there, ripping their hearts from their chests. Once she did it about twenty times, there were some survivors that were already far away. So she shoot fireballs at them, killing almost all of the rest.

Emma was struggling, but her body wouldn't move. She was stopped in midair, held by a light blue energy.

"Regina!" Emma screamed, getting the attention of the brunette who was standing not too far from her. "Regina, think about what you are doing. Think about Henry."

"Don't talk to me." Regina replied in an authoritative voice, a sneer on her face.

"Henry will never forgive you." Emma yelled. Despite being in that situation, she was getting angry.

Regina came even closer to Emma. If the woman was not in midair, their bodies would have been almost touching. "He will never know." She replied.

"You are going to lie to him again, Regina?" Emma was incredibly angry. She could not believe the woman in front of her.

"Don't listen to her, my love." Cora approached them slowly. "You will have everything you deserve."

Suddenly, Cora turned around. Just in time to stop a sword from striking her. "You really thought that this would work, dear?" Cora laughed mockingly at the female warrior, still trying to make her paralyzed sword move. "You should have ran."

Then she threw her away, making the woman fly until she fell on the ground. As soon as she connected on the ground, what seemed like tree branches appeared from the ground and started to strangle her.

Laughing, Cora slowly approached the warrior. With each step she took, the branches kept getting tighter and tighter, making Mulan struggle to breathe.

"Release them." A voice was heard. Cora turned around and saw Aurora holding a dagger on Regina's neck. She was shaking, and when she spoke her voice betrayed her fear. But at the same time she was firm, looking at Cora with a mixture of defiance and fright. Regina looked worriedly at her mother.

"Don't be foolish, child." Cora was still smiling. "You wouldn't be capable of hurting my daughter."

Aurora looked at Mulan, struggling on the ground and then at Emma, who was still paralyzed. Then her eyes turned back to Cora. Her mouth was shut so hard she was almost feeling pain on her jaw, but she knew that she had to do this. "Try me." She dared.

Cora lifted an eyebrow and seemed to think about the situation. She looked at her scared daughter and then at the other two women at her mercy. Looking back at her daughter she flicked her wrist and Emma fell to the ground at the same time that Mulan started coughing, gasping for air, both now free from their magical restraints.

Aurora was surprised for a moment, and taking advantage of that distraction, Cora suddenly appeared beside her, shoving her away from her daughter with magic. Aurora fell to the ground.

"Well played, dear." Cora said, smiling wickedly at the princess that was now looking at her from the ground. "I'll leave for now, but know that this isn't over."

And then, with one last laugh, both Cora and Regina disappeared on a cloud of purple smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! Thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favorites! I really appreciate them.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter as well... I'm not sure when I'll be able to update, but I hope it won't take long.**

**Let me know what you think!**

* * *

In the center of a tall, black room, a small purple cloud appeared. And when it vanished, two women were standing where the cloud had previously been. The younger one looked around and frowned. Was this...? No, it couldn't be.

Everything was exactly as it was when she had cast the curse all those years ago. There was nothing different. The mirrors were still there, her bed was intact, and there was not even dust around the place. She walked slowly towards her old bed and touched it softly.

"How is this possible?" Regina asked her mother, shocked. "It's been years and nothing has changed."

Cora smiled. "I restored your castle, Regina, to show you that things can be restored." She approached her daughter and held her arms with her hands. "To show you that our relationship can be restored and that the Enchanted Forest can be restored. And you can reign again."

"Mother, I want my son and he is not in this world." Regina replied, her eyes filling with tears. "I can't stay here, I have to go back."

"Oh, my dear, don't you see?" Cora asked, smirking. "You don't have to go back. All you have to do is bring your son here."

Regina was surprised. "But everything is destroyed. I don't want to bring Henry to this place, it's too dangerous."

"Oh, my daughter." Cora cupped both of Regina's cheeks with her hands and looked into her eyes. "We will restore the Enchanted Forest, like I just told you we could."

"And how can we do that, mother?" She asked curiously.

The older woman smiled and took a step back. "Well, first you need your magic back, my love." Cora said, opening her hand in front of her and on it a book appeared. It had a brown hardcover with a small heart shining in the middle.

Regina took it and examined it, caressing the cover. "I thought Rumpelstiltskin had this book."

"This is not the same book." Cora replied, smiling at her daughter "This book I made myself. It contains everything I know, dear."

Regina slowly opened the book and seeing the enchanted pages, she blew, closing her eyes. The magic flew in the air and the breathed it. When she opened her eyes again, they were sparkling purple. She could feel the magic back in her body, stronger than ever.

Her mother was watching her, smiling all the time. "Now, my daughter, we begin. We will bring your son here."

"How?" Regina asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I have a few thoughts." Cora's eyes were twinkling.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Enchanted Forest, Emma, Mulan and Aurora were recovering from the battle with Cora. They were still at the refugee camp, sitting on the floor in the middle of all the bodies.

"We shouldn't stay here, Cora can come back at any minute." Mulan warned, standing up and offering her hand to Aurora to help her stand up too. She was looking around suspiciously as if the woman was already there.

"I know, we should go." Emma replied "But first, where is my gun? I want it back."

Mulan hesitantly retrieved the object from her pocket and looked at it with wonder. "Is it magic?"

Emma smirked, standing up and getting her weapon from the warrior. "Depends on who is pulling the trigger."

Mulan raised an eyebrow. "We should go. We have to find a place to stay for the night where we will be relatively safe from the ogres."

"Ogres? Really?" Emma mocked.

But Mulan didn't think it was funny. "Have you ever seen an ogre?"

"Pretty sure I've dated a few." She replied, lifting an eyebrow.

The warrior approached Emma, looking the blond straight in the eyes. "Legend has it that when they kill you, the last thing you see is yourself dying in the reflection of their eyes."

Emma just kept staring at Mulan, not really impressed.

"Let's walk. It's going to be dark soon." Mulan said, walking away.

"Going already?" A mocking voice said right behind them.

The three women turned around and saw Cora, smirking at them. In her hands she held a heart and a few boxes were shining with a red color, floating behind her.

Emma looked around quickly and then looked back at Cora. "Where is Regina? What did you do to her?"

"Concerned for my daughter. So touching!" She mocked.

"I'm right here, miss Swan." Regina stepped out of another hut near them. She too was carrying a heart in her hands, with an evil smile on her face.

Emma looked at Regina with conflicting thoughts and emotions. Should she try to convince the woman again to do the right thing? Should she try to make her see that what she was doing now would never make Henry love her? But she didn't listen to her before and would have let her die in the hands of her mother just a few moments ago. She was so angry at Regina and looking at that smile on her face made her want to punch her to take it away.

"You never learn, do you?" Emma shouted, anger pouring out of her. "You almost killed our son and now here you go again!"

Emma saw that her words affected Regina, but the brunette quickly recovered, making the savior doubt she actually saw the change on her face for that brief second. "My son almost died because you let him eat what was meant for you! Because you wouldn't believe him."

Emma felt her heart hurt on her chest. She knew that if she had believed Henry, none of that would have happened. But she wouldn't let Regina win. "But I believe him now. But you, you are still lying to him!"

Regina looked conflicted for a moment, but the feeling passed as quickly as it came. "Rise!" She commanded, looking Emma straight in the eyes.

Then all of the people that had their hearts removed by Cora started to stand up. The trio looked horrified at the sight, especially Aurora who looked like she was about to pass out. Emma's eyes found Regina's again and the former Queen smirked, her eyes sparkling with evil.

Mulan started attacking the nearest zombies with her sword, keeping Aurora behind her. The warrior was very skilled, but there were too many zombies. One of them had managed to hurt the asian woman's left arm. Emma started shooting the ones that were coming for her, but they weren't slowing down. It seemed like they weren't even feeling the bullets, even when she shot them in the head.

The blond then decided to put her weapon away and grabbed a wood stick that was lying on the ground, using it to hit the head of a zombie that was closer to her. He grunted, but kept trying to grab her and punch her.

"Run!" Mulan shouted.

Emma saw that the warrior and the princess were running away, many zombies running behind them. She was still fighting with that zombie, but she knew she was going to lose if she stayed. So she tried to run too, but another zombie grabbed her foot, making her fall.

"Hold her." Cora commanded.

Two other zombies came and held her up, keeping her arms behind her. She tried to break free, but they were holding her too firmly, almost hurting her.

"It's useless, my dear." Cora approached her, smiling.

"What are you planning, Cora?" Emma asked, looking at the woman with anger. She refused to show fear.

"Oh, my dear girl. What we plan is simple. We will bring Henry here so that my daughter can have him back." She explained.

Emma frowned. "And how will you do that?"

"A curse." This time it was Regina who answered. "It will bring all the people from Storybrook here."

"You are going to bring Henry here, to this destroyed place?" Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. "It's insane!"

"The curse will also restore the Enchanted Forest." Regina replied. "Everyone will be back, and they will still have their memories."

"But for that, we need an especial ingredient." Cora was now standing right in front of Emma, close enough to touch her.

Fear flashed on Emma's eyes, but she tried to remain stoic. "And what is that? Craziness? I think you got that covered, lady."

"No." Cora answered, simply, touching the other woman's chest. "A heart from a person born out of true love."

And with that, she shoved her hand inside of Emma's chest. Emma's eyes were wide open with fear.

"As I've always said, love is a weakness. It is because of love that your heart will be taken today." Cora smiled, trying to remove the heart from the blond's body.

But it didn't budge.

Cora frowned and tried again and again. When Emma realized that she couldn't do it, she looked at the other woman in the eyes and could feel an energy inside of her, begging to be left out. "No, love isn't weakness. It's strength."

Then a blast of white energy from her body sent Cora, Regina and the zombies flying away until they collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Emma took the opportunity, and, without looking back, she ran. She was confused about what had just happened but she couldn't stop to think about that right now. She didn't know where she was going, it was a deep forest, but it didn't matter. She had to get away before they woke up. After she ran for a few minutes, she looked behind her for a second to see if anyone had followed her, but then she hit something soft. Before she could see what she had hit, everything went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again. Thank you for the alerts and favorites =)**

**I'd also like to thank my sister for being kind of a beta to me!**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!**

* * *

If someone dropped a feather in that room right now, everyone would be able to hear it. They had exhausted every energy they had in the last hours trying to find a way, trying to think about a solution after running around town in desperation. Now, all they had were tears. Tears that were silently falling down on everyone's faces. The three were sitting around the table on Mary Margaret's house.

"There must be a way." Snow said, drying her tears on her hands. "There must be a way to create a portal."

Charming punched the table in anger. "No one is helping. Gold can't create a portal, nor the blue fairy. And Jefferson says he can't make the hat work either, since it's destroyed."

"But we can't leave my moms there!" Henry said. "We can't lose hope! In the book things always look worse right before there is good news."

"Yes, Henry, we will find a way." Snow tried to smile and assure her grandson that they would succeed. She was trying to believe that herself.

In that moment, there was a knock on the door. While Charming stood up and headed for the door, the knocks didn't stop. When he opened the door, two people stormed in.

"We have terrible news!" The dwarf said, agitated. "We can't cross the town line or we lose our memories again!"

"What?" Snow stood up too, frowning.

"We were investigating the town limits and Sneezy stepped outside the line." Grumpy explained. "He now thinks he is what he was before the curse broke!"

"And people are lost, the town is falling apart! You have to do something!" Red said, looking from Charming to Snow. "They are feeling safer now that the Evil Queen is not here anymore, but they still don't know what to do."

"We have to do something." Snow said looking at her husband.

David stared back at his wife. They kept looking at each other for a few seconds, then he took a deep breath and looked at Red. "I'll go talk to them."

"Alright, let's go." Red agreed, already taking a step towards the door.

Charming looked back at Snow when he reached the door. "Keep trying to find a way, I'll be right back."

Snow just smiled sadly back at him. Then the door closed and the only ones left were Henry and Snow. They kept silent for a long moment, both still sitting side by side. Henry was staring at the destroyed hat that was in the middle of the table and Snow's eyes weren't focused anywhere. She was deep in thought.

"They are alive, aren't they?" Henry asked with a small voice.

Snow looked at her grandson and fought to hold back her tears. "Yes, they are, Henry. And we will find them."

The woman looked at the hat that Henry was staring at. They were looking at it with such intensity that it seemed that they were expecting the two women to just pop out of it.

If they had just let Regina deal with the wraith herself, none of this would have happened. No, she couldn't think like that. It was wrong. They did the right thing. But doing the right thing led to here. Not having her daughter again, not knowing where she is.

She had tried to go after Emma, but the portal closed and she ended up destroying the hat in the process. If she could only find a way to fix the hat, to make it work again. Again... Wait.

"The water of lake Nostos." Snow whispered to herself.

"What?" Henry asked, having heard his grandmother say something, but he didn't know what.

Snow smiled brightly and her eyes were shining with new found hope. "Lake Nostos! It has the power to bring back what was once lost!"

Henry now was excited too. "Of course! The water that brought Frederick back, making him free of the gold of Midas!"

"Yes!" Snow grabbed the hat and smiled while looking at it. But then she frowned. "But... We don't have the water. The lake is back at the Enchanted Forest and even if we were there... It's dry now."

Henry looked disappointed for just a moment, but then he looked up again and straight at Snow's eyes. "Maybe Mr. Gold has some water! He has to have some of it, he always keeps powerful things!"

The woman looked doubtful for a moment. Should they really ask for Rumpelstiltskin's help again?

"We have to try!" Henry pleaded.

When she looked at his eyes, she knew he was right. Decided, she smiled at Henry. "Yes, let's try."

So Snow stood up and opened the door to leave the apartment. When she saw that the boy was following her, she stopped and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Henry, I'll talk to Gold alone. I'll come back and tell you about it later, ok?" She told him.

"But it was my idea! Come on, let me help!" He pouted.

She looked at him and considered his request. If she didn't let him come, he would find a way to sneak out and could probably get in trouble. Sighing she just closed her eyes and nodded.

He smiled and got out of the door in front of her. She followed. This had to work. It was their last hope.

When they got to Gold's store, Henry ignored the closed sign and pushed the door. Rumpelstiltskin looked up, stopping stocking some potions inside a briefcase. He didn't look pleased.

"I guess it's a family trait to just barge in." He crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want?"

Henry walked up to him. "We need some water from lake Nostos."

The man lifted his eyebrows and looked at Snow. "And why do you need that?"

Snow showed him the destroyed hat. "We need to recover this hat."

"Oh, I see." He smirked. "You need to open a portal to go look for Emma."

"And my mom." Henry said.

"Of course." Rumpelstiltskin agreed, looking at the boy. "Alright."

He opened another briefcase and grabbed a small bottle that contained a clear liquid inside.

"This is the water from lake Nostos." He offered the bottle to Snow.

She eyed the bottle suspiciously. "What do you want for it?"

"Like I told your husband when he came here to get a potion to find someone, all I want is for you to leave me alone." He replied.

The woman still looked a little suspicious, but she took the bottle. "Alright. Deal."

"Wonderful, now please, let yourselves out." He replied, turning his back on them and continuing to stock potions inside his briefcase.

"Ok! Let's go find Jefferson!" Henry said excitedly. "Now there's magic back here, and with his hat fixed, he will be able to use it! Come on, put the water on the hat!"

Snow then opened the vial and threw the contents on the hat. It started shaking and suddenly, it was restored.

"We have to go get gramps!" Henry ran in the direction of the meeting place where David was talking to the town.

"Henry, wait!" Snow ran after him, but the boy didn't stop.

They soon reached their destination. Henry opened the door and everyone looked at the newcomers.

"Gramps! We restored the hat!" Henry announced happily.

Charming looked at the boy and then at his wife, who was smiling holding a perfectly intact hat on her hands.

"I have to go!" He announced and started walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Red stopped him. "That hat can take us all back to the Enchanted Forest, can't it?"

Everyone was looking at him with hopeful eyes. Could they go back to their home?

"Yes, but... We don't know what we will find there." He replied.

"But we can go back? We can return to our home?" Grumpy asked, but it was more a statement a question.

"We can't all go back! We don't know what's left of the Enchanted Forest." He answered.

"It's our home!" Dr. Hopper said. "We have to go back home. All of us!"

"Charming, they are right." Snow said, touching her husband's arm lightly. "They have the right to go home."

He looked at her and sighed. "Ok. Then let's do this. We need to find Jefferson and convince him to take us home. All of you go pack some few things that you want to take and meet me here in two hours."

Then Charming turned to Snow. "Go pack with Henry, we meet back here."

"No, I know where he lives, it will be easier if I go with you." Snow said.

"Alright, then, Henry, you go pack and wait for us there." Charming put his hands on Henry's shoulder.

"No, I can help! Maybe he is not at home!" He replied.

"No, Henry, go home, please!" Snow said. "We don't have much time, let's go!"

Then they left. But Henry knew that he couldn't just stand around. So he went looking for Jefferson too.

In the Enchanted Forest, Emma was awaking. Her body hurt, especially her wrists and ankles. And her head felt heavy. She opened her eyes and she could barely see anything. It was very dark.

When she tried to move, she realized her movements were very limited. Her wrists and ankles were chained and her feet weren't touching the ground. She was getting desperate when torches on the walls suddenly lighted up.

Her eyes hurt for a moment, but then they adjusted to the light. She looked around and saw that she was in a small room and that the chains came from the ceiling, tying both her hands and feet.

She was staring at a wall that had two torches on it. The grey wall was dirty and little drops of water feel right in front of her.

She could hear steps coming from behind her. They were slowly approaching and her heart was beating faster and faster inside her chest.

And then they stopped. And she heard it. That voice.

That voice...


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: This chapter contains violence.**

**Again, sorry for any mistakes.**

* * *

He was sitting on a bench looking at the drawing of him. His heart was aching in his chest. He wanted to see her, but how could he after what he did? But his thoughts were interrupted when a child's voice called his name.

"Jefferson." Henry called. "Right? The mad Hatter?" The boy sat beside the man on the bench.

The man didn't answer.

"I need your help!" Henry pleaded.

"Look, I already told your grandfather I can't do anything." He replied.

"I know, but we restored your hat! Now you can bring us all back to the Enchanted Forest!" The boy insisted.

"I'm the wrong person to talk to, kid." Jefferson sighed. "There is nothing left for me there."

Then Henry looked at the paper that Jefferson held on his hands. "What's that?"

But the man folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

"Your daughter is looking for you, isn't she?" He asked.

"What do you know about it?" Jefferson asked, annoyed.

"I read your story! I know how the two of you were separated! Why are you here? She is at school!" He asked, confused.

"I gotta go home, kid." He replied, standing up and trying to leave.

But Henry didn't let him. "She probably wants to see you!"

"Get out of my way." He warned.

"Why aren't you going to find her?" He asked.

"Because I left her!" He lost his patience, grabbing Henry's shoulder and shaking lightly. "And she will hate me." He added in a whisper.

"And how do you know that?" The boy challenged.

Jefferson stood up straight again and shook his head. "I was on my way, but fate reminded me I shouldn't."

"You should, I've been left too! Anything is better than nothing. She'll spend her whole life wondering why you left her. Not knowing is the worst." He replied.

Jefferson considered the kid's words. Maybe he was right.

"And now you can get her back and you can live together again in the Enchanted Forest!" Henry said. "You can start over."

Jefferson kept looking at Henry. For a few seconds, Henry thought that the man would just leave, but then a small smile formed on the hatter's lips.

"Alright, kid. Let's go get my daughter and then we will all go home."

While things were looking better in Storybrook, in the Enchanted Forest Emma was terrified. That cold voice. Those lips were practically touching her ear and the blond woman was shivering. She didn't know if it was because of the lips on her ears, the ice cold voice or just the cold temperature. Where was her jacket anyway? Did they destroy it so that she would feel cold?

"Did you miss me, dear?" It was almost a whisper.

Emma tried to control her fear, but her heart was beating wildly and she was sweating.

"Regina." She congratulated herself mentally. Her voice didn't shake when she spoke. "Let me go."

"Oh, I don't think so, dear." She replied, circling the other woman until she was in front of her.

Regina now was wearing one of her Evil Queen outfits. A black long dress with black high heels and very dark make up. And the cruel smile on her face could make anyone think that that woman was never anyone else but the Evil Queen.

"What do you want from me?" Emma asked, fearing the answer.

"I want your heart." She answered, her face very close to Emma's.

Emma tried to laugh. "You saw that you can't get it."

"Yes, but I will make you beg me to take your heart. Then it will come out." She kept that cold smile on her face.

Emma could feel her fear increasing, but she couldn't let it show. "You won't break me."

"Oh, my dear." Regina slowly caressed Emma's cheek with her hand. Then she slid it until she reached her neck and squeezed it. The blond woman gasped, trying to breathe. "I will most surely break you."

She laughed while Emma was struggling. When the woman was about to pass out, Regina let go of her. Emma started coughing.

"Bitch." Emma muttered after recovering some oxygen.

"We are just getting started, miss Swan." Regina replied, putting her hand under Emma's chin and making her look up.

With her other hand, Regina conjured a knife. She showed it to Emma, delighted to see the fear in her eyes.

The Evil Queen stepped so close to Emma, that it almost seemed she planned on hugging her. But then she leaned her head and her lips again almost touched the other woman's ear.

"Do you know what I'm going to do with this knife, miss Swan?" She whispered in a fake sweet voice.

Emma just kept taking shallow breaths.

"I will show you." And then she slowly, very slowly, started cutting Emma's back horizontally with the knife. It was not a very shallow cut, and the blood poured freely from it, soaking the now ruined shirt she was wearing.

The blond woman couldn't help but scream. She kept screaming while Regina still slowly cut her skin. After twenty seconds of cutting, which seemed like hours for Emma, she stopped.

Tears were washing Emma's face. But she found the strength to look at her torturer right in the eyes. "Regina, why are you doing this? You know Henry will never love you once he learns what you did."

"Oh, that's where you are wrong, dear." She smirked. "Henry will love me. They will all love me."

Emma was confused for a moment, but soon realization appeared on her face.

Regina laughed. "Figured it out, miss Swan? You are not as dumb as I thought you were."

"That's why you need a heart born out of true love. So that they will all love you." Emma stated, horrified. "But, Regina... It won't be true. They will not really love you."

"But it will be something." Regina snapped. "Henry will love me and stay with me."

"It won't be true!" Emma was frustrated. "Why can't you just try to earn his love back?"

Regina's eyes filled with tears, but her stare was still cold.

"Well, it seems like she was successful in distracting you, Regina." Cora came into the room, stopping right beside her daughter. "Let me take care of this."

With one last look at Emma, Regina just left the room. Cora was smirking at Emma.

"My daughter is a little soft." Cora said. "Now you will see what true pain is like, my dear."

Then cora used magic to make Emma feel like she was being squeezed by a giant snake. Her bones felt like they were about to break and she couldn't breathe. When she thought she was going to die, Cora stopped.

"Ready to beg for mercy, dear?" She asked, smiling.

"Y-you... Wish." Emma answered still gasping for air.

"Bad answer." Cora replied.

Emma felt like a whip had just hit her on her back, and that it had cut her skin. She screamed as the pain came again and again. She could feel more and more blood pouring out of her.

"Now, you are a stubborn one, aren't you?" Cora asked, when after many minutes the blond woman still didn't ask for her to stop. "I suppose I will have to start to really torture you."

Then the scream that left Emma's lips would be able to terrify even the coldest of hearts. Emma could feel something sharp being inserted beneath the fingernail of her right index finger and she felt her fingernail being removed slowly.

"Stop! Please, stop!" She screamed. The pain was too much. "I beg you! Stop!"

"Finally!" Cora laughed. "Now give me your heart."

Emma wasn't thinking about anything anymore. The pain she felt was too great. When she felt the hand inside her chest again though, she could feel the same energy she felt the first time that the woman had tried to take her heart.

She felt the energy make Cora fly away again. But then she was too tired and too weak. She passed out.


End file.
